Page 1 of Intercept My Heart

2003

“Ciera, what are you doing? You’re going to get us in trouble,” I hissed as my best friend prepared to climb out of the bedroom window. Our foster father, Dennis, often checked our rooms at night to make sure we were in bed. A part of me felt like his motives were impure, but regardless, he kept us on a tight leash at home.

“Come on, Rae. Aren’t you tired of going to bed hungry while they stuff their faces with lobster and steak? Getting our asses beat whenever Vera’s drunk ass needs a punching bag?”

“Of course, I am. What does that have to do with you sneaking out, though?” Everyone called Ciera and me Thelma and Louise because when you saw one, you saw the other. However, Ciera was more of a rebel than me, and she did whatever she wanted to most days.

“Look, Dox offered me some money to make some runs for him, and if it all goes well, I’ll be able to take care of us permanently. I can’t continue sitting on my hands while they treat us like trash, Rae.” Hearing the name Dox sent shivers down my spine, but not in the good way. He and his crew ran drugs all through our neighborhood, and it was rumored they were responsible for the rising murder rate in our city. Since welived in a lower-class area, the police couldn’t care less about what happened to us. They would rather us take each other out than them having to do it.

“Ugh, you know I’m not good at lying. What happens if Mr. Dennis comes in here looking for you? What am I supposed to tell him?”

“You won’t be telling him anything, because you’re coming with me.”

“Absolutely not. Are you out of your mind?” My anxiety spiked, thinking about the possible consequences of getting caught. I tried to stay out of the way so they wouldn’t bother me. This was the sixth foster home I’d been to, so I knew how things worked. I preferred to blend in so no one would take any interest in me. So far, it’d worked, and I wanted to keep it that way.

“Be serious right now! Look at your eye! Last month, she broke your rib, and now this week, your eye is swollen shut. You can’t tell me that this is the life you want to live. Anything would be better than this,” Ciera pleaded. My hand gently pressed against the swollen flesh under my eye. For some reason, Vera enjoyed using me as a punching bag whenever she drank too much. According to her, I was sneaky and a troublemaker, but she could never tell me what I’d actually done. I still didn’t know where that came from because I mainly stayed to myself. Outside of Ciera, I rarely even interacted with the other kids here, and I never got in trouble.

“Rae, you’ve got to learn to go with the flow. Those people don’t care about us. As long as those checks are deposited into their accounts, I don’t think they will even blink an eye. Besides, we’re seventeen now. We’ll be aging out of the system soon enough, so we might as well get a head start.” Her revelation scared me because I had no idea what my next steps would be, and I wasn’t ready to step out into the real world.

My mother died during childbirth, and my father ended up committing suicide when I turned two. I’d been in the system most of my life. Although Dennis and Vera treated us poorly, I’d experienced much worse. On the one hand, I guess I should be happy about having my freedom, but where would I even go from here?

“I don’t know, Cee. The last thing I want is to get in trouble right now. Besides, I start working next week, so I’ll be able to eat on the job. My manager said we can eat free on the days we work. Plus, we get to bring food home after our shifts.”

“All of that sounds good, but how do you even know they are gonna let you keep that money? Plus, you can still go to work when we leave. I can probably even get Dox to let me drive you. He says he is gonna take me to get my driver’s license this month.” Ciera sounded so excited, but I wasn’t so sure about this. Jumping from one bad situation to another didn’t sound like a good idea to me.

“I need some time to think about this. What about our stuff?”

“What stuff, Rae? You mean the old, dirty, and dingy clothes they pass down from Chloe? We don’t own any of these things, and why would you even want to take it with you?”

“It’s all I have. You’re suggesting I walk out of here with the clothes on my back and the possibility of things being better. I don’t know if that’s a risk I want to take. At least not right now.”

“Whatever, Rae. If you’re okay with this shit, who am I to convince you otherwise. I don’t want to keep Dox waiting, so I guess I’ll see you when I see you.” Ciera huffed. I knew she was upset from the tone in her voice.

“So, you’re leaving? Where are you going to stay?” I knew they would realize she wasn’t home by the morning, and I hated to think about what they might do to her.

“Dox offered to let me stay at his trap house. I can’t live with him because his wife is there. It may not be ideal, but it beats being in this hell hole.”

“Are you still going to be at school on Monday?” The two of us went to Collier High School, a public school in our neighborhood. Technically, she was still a minor, and I worried about what would happen if she didn’t show up.

“I don’t know. Dox wants me to make a few runs for him tonight, so I may be too tired to go to school. My grades are shitty right now, so I don’t even care about going. Are you sure you don’t want to come with me? You know I won’t be able to rest, knowing you’re still here with these folks.” Fiddling with my hands, I wondered if I’d be able to do something so radical. I preferred to keep it safe, and being a ward of the state wasn’t exactly my idea of safety. Plus, I loved school, so I didn’t want to drop out. There was only one more year left until graduation, and I refused to mess up my chances to get into a good school. College would be my way out of the hell I’d been subjected to.

“I’m sure. I don’t want us to lose touch, so tell me where you’ll be so I can find you. As soon as I save up enough money, I’m gonna get a phone so I can talk to you every day.” Ciera was the closest thing to a sister that I’d ever had, and I couldn’t imagine going through life without her.

“I’ll be on Diamond Street, for the most part. Here, I’ll write my new number down, and you call me as soon as you get your phone. I’m gonna leave you with this one as well. It doesn’t have any minutes on it, but there are a lot of videos, voice recordings, and pictures saved in it. The next time you have a meeting with Mrs. Christy, make sure she gets this. It’s very important, so you have to guard it with your life. Do you understand?” I gulped, then nodded to let her know I understood. A part of me wondered about the contents of the phone, but I wasn’t sure if I could handle the truth. Mr. Dennis gave her that phone when wefirst moved in, and he made it clear it was for her only. Initially, I felt left out, but Ciera told me that it was better that I wasn’t included, even though I had no idea what she meant.

“I don’t want you to go.” Tears pricked my eyes because I feared what would happen once we separated. Not only was I worried for myself but for her as well. What did a grown man like Dox want with a seventeen-year-old anyway?

“You know I hate when you get all emotional on me. You’ve got to toughen up, or this world will swallow you whole, Rae. I may be young, but I’ve experienced more than most adults. This world is evil, and there is no way around it. You either become strong and ready for the battle, or you allow the world to take everything from you. Don’t let them take anything else from you.

“I’ve made a lot of sacrifices to keep you safe. Now it’s time for you to do your part. Keep the room door locked at night and try not to go to sleep until everyone else does. You can’t trust anyone in this house, no matter who they are. Even the kids, okay?” Ciera expressed, wiping my tear-stained cheeks.

“I love you, Rae. I don’t know where life is gonna take us, but I promise that I’ll never stop loving you. Whenever you’re ready, come find me.” We hugged, and I swear I never wanted to let her go. I sobbed into her shoulder until we finally pulled away from each other.

“I love you too. Please be careful out there.”

“I will.”

I watched her climb out of the window and wondered if I had made a mistake in deciding to stay here. Ultimately, the fear of the unknown kept me from leaving. I would much rather stick with the devils I knew than take a risk with the ones out there.

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